Since they first met, Mu Xuanling had expressed her affection for him no less than a hundred times. But only at this moment did Xie Xuechen suddenly feel a bit shaken.
He had never believed in Mu Xuanling’s seemingly frivolous and casual affection. How could demons and monsters, cunning and lustful as they were, understand true love?
Xie Xuechen, devoted to the way of the sword, was pure-hearted and had few desires. He didn’t know what love was, only feeling that it shouldn’t be like this.
Even with his Yuan Power exhausted, he still fought back, simply because he adhered to his principles, protecting humanity at the cost of his life. He couldn’t stand by and watch human cultivators die miserably at the hands of demons and monsters. If this angered Mu Xuanling and she killed him, he would have no regrets.
However, when he saw the hurt in Mu Xuanling’s eyes, he felt a moment of doubt and confusion, wondering if she might genuinely have some feelings for him.
But he quickly dismissed this absurd notion.
Because Mu Xuanling attacked.
She pulled out a magical long sword from her storage ring. A silver light flashed as the sword’s aura pierced towards Xie Xuechen.
Xie Xuechen, the world’s foremost sword expert, immediately noticed countless flaws in Mu Xuanling’s swordplay. Nevertheless, he focused intently, aware of her unpredictable and bizarre techniques. Mu Xuanling’s aura far surpassed Xie Xuechen’s. If she were to use her true powers, she could defeat him in an instant. But she seemed to have no such intention, striking without technique as if venting her frustrations as she tangled with Xie Xuechen.
Gao Qiumin glanced at Xie Xuechen’s back, recognizing him as a human sword cultivator. She vaguely felt his silhouette looked familiar but couldn’t recall where she had seen it before. His face was truly too ordinary; once he turned away, she had already forgotten what he looked like.
The other three cultivators had recovered by now. Seeing Gao Qiumin in a daze, they urgently grabbed her arm and whispered, “Senior Sister, let’s run!”
“But that person…” Gao Qiumin hesitated. The man had stepped forward to help; how could she abandon him?
That sword cultivator, for some unknown reason, had no spiritual power and was no match for the demon cultivator. From their conversation, it seemed the demon cultivator had feelings for the sword cultivator.
“Senior Sister, we can’t save him even if we stay. Since he dared to confront the demon cultivator, he must have some confidence. We should hurry back to report to our sect!”
Hearing this, Gao Qiumin steeled her heart and didn’t delay any longer. She immediately fled with her three fellow disciples.
Mu Xuanling had no interest in pursuing them. She didn’t care whether those people lived or died. She only felt full of grievance and anger. After venting for a while, she finally came to her senses and withdrew her sword.
Xie Xuechen staggered two steps and half-knelt on the ground, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, Mu Xuanling hurriedly approached, wanting to check on Xie Xuechen’s condition. However, as soon as she took a step, she noticed something was amiss.
Everything before her eyes became hazy as if a thick fog had suddenly descended, making it impossible to see anything.
Mu Xuanling calmed down and cooled off.
“The blood sword was fake; the illusion array was real,” she took a deep breath and chuckled lightly, lowering her long lashes to hide the bitterness in her eyes. “You pretended to engage with me but used your blood as a medium to set up this illusion array. The blood of a Fa Xiang realm cultivator is inherently a pure spiritual object. You must have drawn the blood on stones and thrown them out, gradually forming this array.”
From outside the mist came Xie Xuechen’s somewhat weak yet cold voice: “This array is called the Exquisite Shackles. It doesn’t harm people, only trapping you for twelve hours.”
Xie Xuechen was outside the array and could see the expression on Mu Xuanling’s face. However, she couldn’t see Xie Xuechen, nor could she discern the direction of his voice. Her eyes looked somewhat lost and helpless.
“You could have set up a killing array to end me,” Mu Xuanling said, somewhat dejectedly.
Xie Xuechen answered honestly, “A killing array requires too much Yuan Power. I don’t have enough to sustain it.”
Mu Xuanling laughed sarcastically, “Then I guess I’m lucky.”
Xie Xuechen was silent for a moment, then asked, “Why did you use a sword earlier? Swordplay isn’t your forte. If you had used demonic techniques…”
“Then you would have died,” Mu Xuanling interrupted him, her interest waning. “You were so severely injured and had no Yuan Power to protect yourself. You couldn’t have withstood my demonic techniques.”
Xie Xuechen’s heart trembled slightly. A strange emotion flashed across his clear black and white phoenix eyes, sweeping across the tip of his heart so quickly that he had no time to savor or ponder it.
“Sister, can’t we get out?” The Sniffing Treasure Mouse raised its head, sniffing around with its nose, its round eyes widening in surprise. Its sense of smell and vision was extremely keen, and ordinary magical arrays and restrictions couldn’t block its perception. But now, within the Exquisite Shackles, its five senses seemed dulled, as if submerged in thick water, unable to hear clearly or smell anything.
“It’s useless,” Mu Xuanling shook her head gently. “Magic arrays have four symbolic powers: defense, entrapment, killing, and wonder. The more complete the four symbols in an array, the weaker each symbol becomes. For example, the Six-Pointed Flower-Crushing Array focuses all its power on killing, making it easier to break. But the Exquisite Shackles is the world’s foremost entrapment array because it only has the power to trap enemies, making it even harder to break.”
Mu Xuanling took a deep breath, concentrated her power, and released her demonic energy. It burst out in all directions but disappeared into the white mist as if punching into cotton.
If one doesn’t follow the correct method to break the Exquisite Shackles, one can only be trapped within it for twelve hours.
People only knew that Xie Xuechen’s swordsmanship was unparalleled in the world, thinking he didn’t know how to use arrays. He simply did not need for them. He was proficient in arrays, but when many difficulties in the world could be solved with a single sword strike, why bother with the trouble of setting up an array?
Mu Xuanling had forgotten this, and so fell into his trap.
“Xie Xuechen!” Mu Xuanling called out irritably but received no response.
The Sniffing Treasure Mouse nudged Mu Xuanling with its nose tip and said in a childish voice, “Sister, it seems brother has left.”
“Why did he leave so quickly!” Mu Xuanling stomped her foot in frustration. “I… I still had something very important to tell him…”
She sighed dejectedly, slowly crouched down, hugged her knees, and stared blankly at her toes. The Thousand-Thread Shoes were colorless, shapeless, pure, and odorless, yet could transform into any type of footwear. In the demon realm, she often went barefoot, but in the human world, she transformed them into a pair of small, embroidered shoes.
Gao Qiumin said there were no shoes under the bed. Hmph, her shoes were high-level magical items; they didn’t need to be taken off.
That woman was both stupid and wicked, yet Xie Xuechen still helped her, just because she was human…
Mu Xuanling hugged herself somewhat dejectedly – I want to be human too…
It took Xie Xuechen a long while after leaving to realize one thing.
He owed Mu Xuanling another life debt.
The first time was when she rescued him from the Melting Abyss. The second time was just now when she showed mercy by not killing him.
But she was a half-demon who practiced demonic techniques. Good and evil couldn’t coexist. The only way he could think of to repay her kindness was simply not to kill her.
Xie Xuechen sighed softly, unaware that this was his first sigh in over twenty years.
He had encountered the first problem in his life that couldn’t be solved with a single sword strike.
After galloping in the opposite direction for a long time, the day broke. Xie Xuechen found a relay station, let his mount rest for a while, and then continued on his journey.
People at the relay station said they had seen cultivators from Mirror Flower Valley hurriedly pass by on horseback. Xie Xuechen guessed that those four people were heading straight back to Mirror Flower Valley to report, and probably wouldn’t return within twelve hours. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
His goal was to return to Yong Xue City as quickly as possible. If he traveled day and night, he could reach it within four days. With Mu Xuanling’s Ghost Shadow Hairpin, he didn’t need to worry about his trail being exposed.
Thinking of this, Xie Xuechen couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.
The gentle morning sunlight fell on his face. Xie Xuechen tilted his head slightly upwards, suddenly remembering something.
A half-beast who practiced demonic techniques would feel the pain of being burned alive under the scorching sun…
In the quiet forest, the cool morning light gently fell upon the earth.
In a clearing, there was a bulging black cloth bundle that suddenly trembled slightly.
“A Bao, why has your mother been gone for so long?” Mu Xuanling grumbled.
Two hours ago, an adult Xiu Bao Shu had come to reunite with the young one in her arms. The little Xiu Bao Shu was called A Bao, and the big one was called Xiu Xiu.
A Bao wasn’t very clever, obviously influenced by its mother. Xiu Xiu, who had cultivated for five hundred years and could take human form, was an adorable, almost simple-minded young girl. She anxiously ran back and forth outside the Ling Long Jia, wanting to save her child but at a loss for what to do.
Mu Xuanling looked at her foolish appearance and sighed, “There’s no help for it. The Ling Long Jia is composed of sixty-four hexagrams, with over sixteen million possible paths. Besides the one who set up the formation, probably only a cultivator who is well-versed in the Eight Trigrams and extremely intelligent could find a way to break it.”
Mu Xuanling had only been cultivating for seven years at most and hadn’t yet learned these things that her master considered unimportant.
However, Xiu Xiu’s eyes lit up when she heard this. She said she knew of an extremely intelligent person nearby and would go bring them here. With that, she ran off without looking back.
Mu Xuanling waited for two hours, until daybreak, but Xiu Xiu hadn’t returned with anyone.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Given Xiu Xiu’s lack of intelligence, she probably thought everyone was extremely clever.
She had taken out a black cloak from her spatial ring in advance. Although it couldn’t completely block out the sunlight, it could at least reduce the pain from sun exposure. Fortunately, she was now in the forest, with some tree shade for cover. Otherwise, if she were to be exposed to the sun for an entire day, she might not die, but she’d probably lose half her life.
Ah, Xie Xuechen had such a cruel heart…
Mu Xuanling crouched on the ground, drawing circles dejectedly.
“Young Master Nan, it’s here!”
Xiu Xiu’s voice came through the mist. Mu Xuanling was startled and instinctively raised her head, then remembered she couldn’t see people outside the formation.
She heard a clear and gentle male voice from afar.
“Hmm? The Ling Long Jia?”
The voice was low but not deep, like a clear mountain spring or a gentle spring rain. It had a strange power, seemingly able to soothe all anxiety and unease. Just hearing that voice made one imagine that it must belong to an extremely handsome and refined young man, smiling before speaking, with tender affection in his eyes.
Mu Xuanling was stunned for a moment before she blurted out, “You recognized the Ling Long Jia at a glance?”
Xiu Xiu had brought a formidable person.
Mu Xuanling thought with trepidation—fortunately, her magical artifact was strong enough. Otherwise, if the other party discovered she was a half-beast demon, wouldn’t she be like a fish in a barrel?
The young man said gently, “The world’s number one trapping formation, the Ling Long Jia, traps without harming—it’s a merciful formation.”
Mu Xuanling pouted, thinking to herself, trapping me here to roast like meat, how is that merciful?
The young man seemed to examine the surroundings, then said after a moment, “The formation was set up using blood-stained stones. The blood has a faint golden glow, suggesting the person is a Fa Xiang cultivator. If a Fa Xiang cultivator wanted to kill someone, why use a formation? If they wanted to set up a formation, why use blood? It seems this cultivator’s condition is extremely poor, resorting to such a low-level strategy against an enemy. Xiu Xiu, the young lady you want to save is likely no ordinary person.”
Mu Xuanling’s spine tingled. The other party had discerned the truth in just a few words. Who exactly was this person?
Xiu Xiu said anxiously, “Young Master Nan, please help me. A Bao is also trapped in the formation!”
A Bao chimed in loudly, “Yes, yes, Young Master Nan, please save A Bao!”
The young master chuckled lightly, “Even if the Ling Long Jia isn’t broken, it will dissolve on its own after twelve hours. Why such haste to break the formation? Hmm… Could it be that a demon fears the blazing sun?”
Mu Xuanling’s breath caught, and an overwhelming sense of crisis made her instantly draw out her defensive magical artifact, assuming a defensive posture.
“Young lady, there’s no need to be nervous,” the young master said gently. “I mean you no harm.”
Mu Xuanling naturally didn’t believe him.
“A Bao’s intuition is exceptionally keen. If you were an extremely evil demon tainted with the karma of killing, it wouldn’t approach you willingly,” Young Master Nan continued slowly. “It’s now the third quarter of the Chen hour. You’ve been exposed to the morning light, yet you show no signs of pain. You must not be of the Demon Clan, but rather a half-beast who has cultivated demonic techniques.”
Mu Xuanling had prided herself on her excellent concealment, but she had no secrets before this person. Indeed, as Xiu Xiu had said, he was extremely intelligent…
“Are you willing to help me break the formation?” Mu Xuanling no longer doubted his ability to do so.
“Since you’re A Bao’s friend, I’m naturally willing,” Young Master Nan paused, “If the young lady trusts me.”
Mu Xuanling lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and said, “I trust you.”
Young Master Nan seemed to laugh softly, then said, “The Ling Long Jia is based on the Eight Trigrams. With each step, a new Eight Trigrams diagram forms under your feet. Only by taking eight correct steps in a row will the formation break. If you make one wrong step, you have to start over.”
“Young lady, first stand up and take a step towards the southeast—that’s your front left.”
Following Young Master Nan’s instructions, Mu Xuanling stepped towards her front left. Immediately, she saw the mist around her surge, and the ground beneath her feet transformed into the Tai Chi Yin-Yang fish.
“Next, take the Qian step.”
Mu Xuanling stepped towards the Qian trigram, and the pattern under her feet changed again. The Qian trigram transformed into the Tai Chi fish, with the new Eight Trigrams appearing around it.
“Was that correct?” Mu Xuanling asked.
Young Master Nan replied, “Whether the step is right or wrong, the formation changes like this. There’s no way to eliminate incorrect paths, which is why this formation is called unsolvable.”
Mu Xuanling took a breath and narrowed her eyes, “You think you can break it?”
“Why not give it a try?” Young Master Nan chuckled, “After all, you’re trapped either way, with nothing else to do.”
Mu Xuanling felt a lump in her throat.
“Walk to the Dui trigram.”
Mu Xuanling stomped heavily on the Dui trigram.
Young Master Nan laughed softly and then said, “Xun trigram.”
Mu Xuanling stopped talking to him and lowered her head, following Young Master Nan’s instructions step by step.
“Last step, Kan trigram.”
Mu Xuanling raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that he was quite confident to think eight steps would be correct. However, as soon as her foot landed, the mist before her eyes instantly vanished.
Standing in front of her was a gentle, handsome, and refined young man. He opened the folding fan in his hand to shield Mu Xuanling from a bit of sunlight, and said with a smile, “The young lady seems puzzled as to how I could break the formation in one try?”
Mu Xuanling suddenly realized they were standing quite close. She took a step back to distance herself from him, warily examining the man before her.
He looked to be in his early twenties, tall and straight, with quite a handsome appearance. His eyes were bright and clear, containing a warm smile. He stood backlit in the morning light, and even those who despised sunlight couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth and closeness.
As radiant as the bright moon, as beautiful as the iris and orchid.
Mu Xuanling was momentarily dazed before responding, “Who exactly are you?”
He had not only broken the formation without a single mistake but also seemed very confident as if he were the one who had set it up.
The young man nodded slightly and smiled, “Yun Xiu Mountain Villa, Nan Xuyue.”
After her initial shock, Mu Xuanling suddenly understood.
No wonder… No wonder he was so confident…
This Ling Long Jia was his creation.
The master of Yun Xiu Mountain Villa, Nan Xuyue.
Even in the Demon Realm, she had heard his name.
It was said he was unparalleled in intelligence, second to none in the world.
It was said his medical skills were supreme, earning him the title of Medicine King.
It was said he was handsome and refined, with looks like a deity.
Everyone who mentioned him would praise him endlessly and then sigh.
Because he was born with ten orifices, his talent was so strong it was hard to distinguish from Xie Xuechen’s.
However, now he had become a useless person, a cripple.